Can you watch one channel while recording another

You actually can switch and watch other sub-channels while recording one. i.e. if you are recording channel 22.2, and this channel has subchannels of 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 22.4 - you can watch any of those channels. But you can not record 22.2 and then switch to another station, say 54.3 .

I want to use this to PLAY video, not record. What video formats does it support?

A better question is what format will it not play. I have been able to play divx 4.x and 5.x,asi .mp4,vob,mov and .mkv 4:3&16:9 video files off of a usb on it. This is very nice if you have a lot of personal video files that you want to watch on your tv without having to do extra work converting and burning the video files to disc. I use a 1 tb external drive for storage(to play) and I have an external WD 2.5 500gb for recording with no problems. Be sure to download and install the update software first thing. Also if you are going to record from it be sure and format the drive to ntfs or you will have multiple files for each recording.(unless that is what you want)

I have an HD Tv with an antenna- I don't need a converter, but I'm looking for a digital recorder, would this be the answer?

You can record all the signals that come through the box. If it is OTA (over the air) or if it is digital cable signals and pass through the box, it could be recorded. The problem with this is that this box ( and other brands as well) don't scan all the channels available at once. Sometimes, it is needed to move the antenna to get others channels.I solved this by setting two different antennas in different places to get all the channels available. When I need to record a specific program, I used my A-B switch and look for the channel I need. If you are using just cable signals, that requires a different approach, since the box don't gets all the channels neither. But I've found out that different brands of converter boxes, yield a different set of channels, so I bought two different brands like Mediasonic HomeWorx and Iview . All of them have a certain similar channels, like CBS, ABC. MovieTv, CozyTv etc., but for instance, I don't get must of the PBS channels on HomeWorx box. In Ivew I get all the 21 channels, Create, World, Thirteen, ch 21, MeTv and Gettv among others. I'm not sure if it depends on location or what, but that is my experience on the matter. If what you are looking for is just to record the programs you like, you can use this box, but be sure that your box displays the your favorite channels. If one box is not enough, you can buy another one, (they don't cost much) but please, buy a different brand to expand the amount of channels available in you tv (for recording).With two boxes, you can record two different programs at the same time in two different channels. You also can have them hook to you tv from different ports, like HDMI and components, all together, at the same time.

Does it display a program guide and if so is that what you use to set up recordings?

It does display a program guide that you can use it for recordings. When you hit the EPG button the guide of that channel appears. Sometimes take a while to populate and no always the same amount of titles. It can show six or seven programs or 24 hours or more of the schedule for that channel, it depend on the availability for the menu. Sometimes it display also a synopsis of the program, usually a movie. When you access the set up for your recordings you'll be asked for the channel, the start time, the end time, if you want it once, daily or weekly and if it is just to view or to record. When record time is due, the box will start recording in the appropriate channel even though the box was displaying another one at that time. You also can record directly the program that you are watching, just remember to hit the stop button when finished. And don't forget to put an USB device . A normal 2 hours movie requires around 1.5 or 2GB of memory. It can record OTA signals or cable. With cable signals the program has to be schedule manually but work the same.

Brand	Mediasonic
Mounting Type	Coaxial,Surface Mount,Plug Mount
Number of Pins	9
Interface Type	RCA, USB, HDMI, Coaxial
Number of Channels	1
Product Dimensions	8.7"L x 6"W
Material	Metal
UPC	629329006564
Manufacturer	Mediasonic
Global Trade Identification Number	00629329006564
Brand Name	Mediasonic
Item Weight	1 pounds
Country of Origin	China
Item model number	HW-150PVR
Batteries	2 AAA batteries required.
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer	No
Color Name	Black

HW-150PVR

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